Yadvigin Sh. Memorial Stone

Just 40 kilometers from Minsk, in the cozy urban settlement of Radoshkovichi, stands a modest yet significant memorial — a commemorative stone in honor of the Belarusian writer Yadvigin Sh. This site attracts not only literature enthusiasts but also anyone interested in the history and cultural heritage of Belarus. The stone was installed in 1978 on Sovetskaya Street, near the Church of the Holy Trinity, surrounded by other monuments to the classics of Belarusian literature. The monument is a natural boulder with a plaque bearing the writer’s name.

Biography

Yadvigin Sh. is the literary pseudonym of Anton Ivanovich Levitsky (1869–1922), one of the founders of Belarusian prose. The future writer was born into a noble family and received his primary education at a school founded by the daughter of Vincent Dunin-Martsinkevich. In his youth, he studied at the Minsk Gymnasium and later enrolled in the medical faculty of Moscow University, from which he was expelled for participating in student protests. After being arrested and imprisoned in Butyrka prison, he began to write. Upon returning to Belarus, Levitsky worked as a pharmacist’s assistant in Radoshkovichi, where a circle of Belarusian-speaking intellectuals began to form around him.

In the 1890s, he wrote the play “Zlodzei” (“The Thief”), married seamstress Lyutsia Gnatovskaya, and settled at the Karpilovka estate. There he created many of his best works, actively engaged in public and educational initiatives, and collaborated with newspapers like “Nasha Niva,” “Belarus,” and journals such as “Sakha” and “Luchynka.” His stories “Sud” (“The Trial”), “Pazyka” (“The Loan”), “Milka,” the poem “Dzed Zavala,” and the collection “Belarusian Jokes” became classics of Belarusian literature. The writer passed away in Vilnius in 1922, leaving behind the unfinished novel “Zolata” (“Gold”) and his memoirs “Uspaminy” (“Recollections”).

Excursions

You can learn more about Anton Levitsky’s biography and visit the commemorative stone dedicated to him on an individual excursion that we are happy to arrange upon request. Such a trip from Minsk to the commemorative stone in honor of Yadvigin Sh. in Radoshkovichi is a wonderful opportunity to connect with the literary history of Belarus, discover more about the writer’s life and work, and explore the places where he lived, worked, and found inspiration. During the tour, you can also visit the surroundings of Karpilovka — the writer’s estate, which hosted prominent figures such as Yanka Kupala, Zmitrok Biadulia, and other notable personalities of Belarusian culture.